Escaping Hades
by Sol Winterfang71
Summary: In old Greek mythology, there was a man named Heracles that had not only defeated the mighty Cerberus, the "guard dog" that sat at the gates of the Underworld, but had entered and escaped the Underworld, the realm of the god Hades. Granted, the man was the son of the god Zeus, but that's an arguement for another time. My question is can I do the same? If so, at what cost? Rated M
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect.

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Escaping Hades

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Chapter One

"Shit!" The armored man cursed upon seeing several Cerberus Assault Troopers coming his way, prompting him to turn and slide down behind a metal desk for cover just moments before the Cerberus soldiers opened fire on him. Gritting his teeth within the confines of his helmet, he reached down and grabbed the two M-25 Hornets holstered to the sides of his thighs. He didn't have to worry about loading them or checking to see if they were loaded; he was always ready for a fight. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he took an extra moment to listen carefully as bullets continued to ring out against the desk and whiz by over and around him. Suddenly, there was a momentary pause from the enemy; they were reloading.

"..." Wordlessly, he stood up and spun around, training his Hornets on two different soldiers as his inhuman reflexes slowed his perception of time down to a crawl before he squeezed the triggers, firing off short and controlled bursts. Thre shots on the left, one Assault Trooper down. Three shots on the right, another dead, one shot missed. Three shots fired at another Cerberus soldier; dead. Three shots at the fourth armored man, first shot striking his helmet and going through the armored shell; instant kill. Releasing the triggers, he stood still for a few moments, waiting patiently for any others to enter the empty room.

Lowering the submachine guns, he started walking over to another door. Much like the men trying to kill him, he was dressed in a suit of Cerberus Assault Trooper armor, only it was heavily modified. The armor itself was stronger than normal with numerous parts from Guardian armor built into the suit for increased physical strength and stamina, a powerful kinetic barrier that had the durability of four Centurion shields, additional compartments to hold more thermal clips and grenades, and custom mag-lock holsters on his thighs for his second pair of Hornets. Not only that, but the armor had been painted pitch black with dark grey markings instead of the white and yellow of Cerberus, their emblem missing from the armor.

Mounted to the right side of his back was a dark grey M-96 Mattock, a dark grey M-13 Raptor set just beside it on the left side of his back, a single dark grey M-358 Talon holstered to his chest at an angle, a pair of dark grey M-25 Hornets that were normally holstered to the sides of his thighs, and two more dark grey Hornets holstered behind his waist. His suit was equipped with a handful of upgrades that he normally wouldn't have been able to come across, but lucky for him, he had a few connections. Not only that, but being a now-former Cerberus agent, he knew where a few bases were located that held what he still needed.

Calmly walking through the halls of the Cerberus Cruiser _Kraken IV_ after disabling the four frigates with it via the _Kraken IV_'s weapons systems, the man maintained full awareness of his surroundings as he made his way towards the hangar in search of a Kodiak. Eyes narrowing within his helmet as several Cerberus soldiers suddenly blocked off the hall way directly in front of him while a blast door slammed shut behind him, the man raised his Hornets as his reflexes started running at full speed once more. Killing an Assault Trooper with a headshot and the one behind him with the remaining two rounds of the three-shot burst from his left Hornet, he aimed his right Hornet at the lights above them, squeezing the trigger and holding it as he gradually moved it down, shattering the lights with a spray of bullets that drowned the section of the corridor they were in with complete darkness.

"Idiots." He mutter as he ejected the two spent thermal clips and quickly jumped to the side before pressing his back against the wall just as the soldiers started opening fire again, the bullets missing him completely due to them being unable to see him. Reloading the Hornets and holstering them, he pulled out one of the few grenades he had left and primed it, rolling it across the floor. Coming to a stop at the feet of an Assault Trooper in the middle of the group, the man looked down just in time to watch it detonate, killing him and the other four in an instant.

Raising his left forearm as his Omni-tool flared to life, he checked the map of the ship and over-layed the security measures Cerberus had taken to lock down the ship. Scowling upon seeing that they had locked down the hangar, which was only about a hundred meters away, he decided it was about time to stop playing around. As his Omni-tool disappeared, he drew his Mattock and shouldered it while crouching down slightly and moving at a moderately fast-paced walk.

Spotting a pair of Centurions, he quickly holstered his Mattock and drew his Talon with his right hand before charging them, his Omni-blade appearing in a blaze of orange-red light on his left arm. Before they could react, he had thrust the Omni-blade into the chest of the Centurion on the left while pressing the muzzle of his Talon against the throat of the second right under his chin, squeezing the trigger and causing the shotgun-pellets to rip through his neck and up into his skull, shredding his brain and killing him instantly. Letting both bodies fall as he let his Omni-blade deactivate, he switched out his Talon for his Mattock and continued on his way towards the hangar.

Reaching the final stretch to the hangar access doors without much resitance, the ex-Cerberus operative's eyes widened before ducking back behind the wall, having spotted a rather large group of assorted enemies standing guard out in front of the large blast doors at the end of the hallway. Two Combat Engineers with their turrets already deployed, three Guardians, four Centurions, and six Assault Troopers. Bringing the map back up, he checked for any other ways into the hangar; unfortunately, there weren't any.

"God damn it!" He hissed under his breath as he let it deactivate. Grabbing one of his final five frag grenades in comparison to the fifteen he normally carried, he quickly stepped out from around the corner before throwing the grenade and returning to the safety behind the corner just as the Cerberus units opened fire on him. The grenade, having gone unnoticed, went over them and hit the door behind them before bouncing down to the floor near the middle of the group in the back, drawing the attention of those unoccupied with trying to shot the black-armored soldier.

"GRENA-" One of the Combat Engineers tried to call out, but the grenade had detonated before he could finish the word, the explosion-propelled shrapnel ripping through their armor and into their flesh without mercy. Glancing around the corner a few seconds later, he grit his teeth, seeing that three of the Centurions survived, although just barely, along with one of the Guardians, who had been lucky enough and quick enough to put his shield between him and the grenade. He was just glad that the two turrets were disabled; they would have really ruined his day.

"Thank God for armor-piercing ammunition and piercing mods." He muttered with a bit of irritation and gratitude before stepping back out from cover, the stock of his Mattock pressed into his shoulder as he took aim. Firing three quick shots, the Guardian was hit three times in the head before he could bring his shield back around. Another three shots scored direct hits to the chest of the first Centurion, punching through the armor plating and through his ribcage. Squeezing off another four rounds with one striking the center of the second Centurion's helmet and passed right through it while two hit his chest and the fourth missed, the man took aim at the the third Centurion as he continued to advance on them at brisk pace, firing three more shots in rapid succession. Two of the rounds struck his torso, but they missed his organs and only stumbled him slightly while the third was a lucky shot and slid through the gap between the collar of his body armor and his helmet, passing straight through his neck and ricocheting off the collar of his armor in the back while the man numbly clutched at his neck with one hand and fell over.

Lowering his rifle, he stared at the dead bodies for a moment before ejecting the nearly used-up thermal clip, inserting a fresh one a moment later. Glancing down the halls to either side of him, he found both corridors to be barren of enemy occupation. Mounting his rifle to his back once more, he brought up his Omni-tool and linked with the locking mechanism to the door directly in front of him. After a couple moments, he easily hacked the system and unlocked the door, prompting it to slide open to allow him entrance.

"They lock down the hangar and post guards outside the only entrance to it, but don't post any guards _inside_ it?" He wondered out loud, confused and a little disappointed with how..._easy_...it seemed. Then again, he wasn't exactly a regular Cerberus grunt. Shaking his head with a slight sigh, he made his way over to the nearest UT-47A Kodiak, noticing how there were two others sitting off to the side. He knew he needed to slow them down from pursuing him once he managed to reach the hangar, but how? Cocking an eye brow slightly, he reached behind his waist and pulled his last four grenades free from his belt. "Man, it's going to be a pain in my ass to get more after these. Oh, well. If it keeps them from following me, I'll consider it a miracle."

A few minutes later, he was exiting the hangar via the shuttle just as reinforcements arrived. Before they could open fire on him, the improvised bombs he had placed on the other two Kodiaks finally went off, rendering them useless and killing a few of the soldiers. At the same time, however, he set off the explosives he had planted in the _Kraken IV_'s engine room and bridge, disabling their engines and rendering them unable to do just about anything while he had already disabled the communications array during the beginning stages of his 'escape plan'.

"Okay. Where to now?" He mumbled, checking the screens on the console as he plotted a course for the nearby Mass Relay...

**xXx**

Taking a drink of his beer as he lounged in a booth on the third floor of the Afterlife Club, the blonde stared down towards the lower levels from his place along the interior edge of the balcony-ring. He stood at about 6'2" with a lean, muscular physique fit for a soldier, mildly tanned skin, golden blonde hair kept in an undershave that reached the base of his neck in the back, and deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a pair of baggy black and grey camouflage pants tucked into knee-high black combat boots, a black skin-tight sleeveless turtleneck top, a black zippered hoodie over it that he kept unzipped with the hood tossed up over his head that hid everything on his face from his nose and up within the shadowy confines, a black elbow-length fingerless glove on his left hand and forearm, and a black fingerless glove on his right hand. Hidden beneath his clothing were black tribal tattoos that covered both of his arms from the back of his hands and around his wrists all the way up to his shoulders, all across his chest, all around his neck, and all over his back.

"Aria wants to see you." A Batarian spoke up from the blonde's left, prompting him to look up at the three gang members curiously, the other two being Turians. Glancing down at the second floor where Aria's private lounge was located, the man grimaced slightly, but sighed with defeat. It wasn't as if he could do anything about it.

"Geez...What did I do _this_ time?" He grumbled under his breath before standing up, beer in hand, and letting the trio escort him down to where Aria was. Finishing his beer, he set it down as they passed by an unoccupied table. "Hey, you think we could make a quick stop at the bar? I want to get another beer."

"No." The Batarian responded sharply, not even bothering to glance back at him. Pouting almost childishly, the blonde decided to find another way of getting his hands on another beer. Passing by a table crowded by some drunk Blue Suns members, the blonde easily snagged one of the bottles from the waiter bringing them another round of drinks. Ignoring the looks he was getting from the two Turians behind him, he took a drink of the newly aquired alchoholic beverage as they neared the lounge. Upon entering, the blonde grinned before taking another sip of his beer.

"Why, if it isn't the 'Pirate Queen' herself..." He spoke up while brushing past the Batarian in front of him. As a sign of respect, however, he bowed slightly at the waist with his arms at his sides before standing up straight again, the Asari's three subordinates leaving as he did. "So, what can I do for you, Aria?"

"First off, you'll uncover your head. You know I don't like people trying to hide things from me." Aria responded sharply, a look of annoyance and disinterest present on her face as she looked away from the Asari dancers and at the blonde Human, who was taking yet another sip from his drink.

"Now that's just rude. You know I wouldn't hide anything from you." The man responded, but did as he was instructed anyways. "I've been here...What? A month, so far? I know for certain that you've been keeping tabs on me since I got here. Not only that, but you most likely already know that I'm trying to get a ride out of here..."

"I do. That's what I wanted to speak to you about." Aria answered, her eyes narrowing. "I don't want you on my space station any more. Whether you still work for them or not, you're associated with Cerberus. Head to the Tuhi District and look for a Salarian named Kovus; he has a ship that'll get you wherever you're going. Take it and get off Omega."

"Oh? I didn't think you hated me so much as to go out of your way to get rid of little ol' me. It's not like I've caused you any trouble." The blonde remarked and smirk before taking another drink of his beer. His smirk only grew when Aria glared at him angrily; it was a blatant lie and they both knew it. It was because of him slaughtering almost half of the Blood Pack, a quarter of the Blue Suns gang, and a third of Eclipse's ranks that Omega wasn't drowning in another gang-war that spanned the entirety of the space station. "Besides, I didn't think you did favors for people..."

"This isn't a _favor_." Aria spat venomously, her animousity only proving to amuse the blonde. "This is an _ultimatum_. Leave or die. Your choice."

"Hm...You're not very hospitable, are you?" He replied softly with a slight frown, no longer amused by her temper now that she had openly threatened him. Finishing his beer, he stared at the bottle for a moment before setting it down on the table between them and nodding. "Alright. I'll leave."

"Good." Aria growled as the man tossed his hood back up over his head and turned to leave, only to pause momentarily and turn back around just enough for her to see his eyes as they narrowed angrily, yet coldly.

"However, I suggest you don't threaten my life again." He muttered with frigid seriousness and a calm expression on his face. "I have a tendency to get..._violent_...when provoked."

"I'll keep that in mind." The Pirate Queen responded quietly, watching as the man faced forward and left without another word. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the empty beer bottle the man had left behind. _'So, that's the infamous Wraith, the man that single-handedly crippled a small Cerberus flotilla two years ago. Interesting.'_

**xXx**

"Get me wherever I'm going? Bullshit! She was probably hoping I'd die before I got anywhere! That fucking bitch!" The blonde ranted angrily, fully armored and loaded down with his weapons as he stood just outside of the busted up one-man long-range fighter. Numerous times in his travels, he was forced to find somewhere to dock to fix _something_ that went wrong with the ship, hindering him. It had taken him a little over a month to travel what would have taken him only days. Almost to his destination, the fighter's engines started dying out for certain, forcing him to make an emergency crash-landing shortly before he made it to his target. He had been on his way to the Prothean Archives, having discovered something while rifling through some files in a Cerberus science facility that caught his attention. Kicking the lightly armored hull of the craft just behind the cockpit's transparent canopy, the Wraith turned around with a disgruntled sigh and leaned against the no longer functioning vehicle, staring up at the reddish sky.

"God damn it..." He muttered quietly with calm irritation before bringing up his Omni-tool, checking his coordinates. "Well, I'm not _too_ far from the Prothean Archives. It's a little after mid-day now and it'll be about a day's travel, but with what limited supplies I have, I'll be cutting it close. Damn it..."

Sighing once more, he pushed off of the craft and checked his bearings real quick before reaching down and grabbing the handle to a metal container, which held a number of spare oxygen tanks, some field rations, two sets of clothing, and a handful of spare thermal clips he couldn't carry on his person. Without another thought, he started walking, the speakers built into his helmet producing some music to help pass the time and keep him from talking to himself like a crazy person throughout the trip. Just as it neared dawn on the red planet, he came to a stop at a ridge, being within sight of the archive facility.

_"Oxygen level: 002%; Status: Critical; Refill oxygen supply immedi-"_

"Shut up." He grumbled, deactivating the warning. Sighing and knowing he couldn't delay it any longer, he knelt down and opened the metal case he had with him, retrieving an oxygen tank. Connecting the fresh oxygen tank to his suit's built in oxygen system, he idly watched as the oxygen meter built into his suit's HUD started rising back up. After a few moments, it registered as full while the oxygen tank was left empty, apart from a few gasps of air. Placing it upside-down in the case to be refilled at a later time and closing the container, he continued on his trek.

Soldiering on at the same pace as when he started despite having not slept in almost a full fourty-eight hours, the man finally came within a mile of the Prothean Archive around mid-afternoon; or rather, the equivalency of such on the Martian planet. Hearing something in the distance, he let his combat training take over, causing him to duck down behind a large clutch of rocks as a handful of UT-47A Kodiaks flew over-heard in the direction of the facility. Not only that, but a few M-080 APCs hurtled past him in the same direction just seconds behind the Kodiaks. That wasn't all, either; they were all painted in Cerberus colors.

"This couldn't possibly be good." He mumbled quietly before tucking the container under his left arm and sprinting out from behind the rocks, crouching slightly to reduce the visibility of his form from the others. Just as he reached a ridge not far from where the Cerberus troops disembarked, the blonde cursed upon seeing another Kodiak, this one painted in an Alliance color scheme. Taking cover behind some more rocks, he made himself as invisible as he was physically capable, even going so far as to activate his Tactical Cloak just to ensure he wasn't spotted. A few moments later, the Kodiak came to a stop no less than five meters from his position.

_'Three soldiers; one male, two females.'_ He thought to himself before catching sight of the N7 markings on the familiar looking armor, having been painted a dark crimson and grey camouflage color scheme, of the middle figure, a woman. He didn't need to see her face to know who it was. _'Shepard? They let her back in? Damn. I've been out of the loop for too long.'_

As they started walking down towards the nearest entrance into the Archives, the man set the container down while deactivating his cloak. Taking a moment to ensure he was fully stocked on thermal clips and grenades, the man left the case behind before drawing his Mattock and running along the ridge, keeping an eye on them. Due to his higher position, he was able to see the Cerberus troops preparing to ambush them. He didn't exactly like Shepard all that much, mostly because of a few run-ins they had while she was trying to stop the Collectors, but that didn't mean he wanted her dead. Not only that, but he now had a hatred of Cerberus and it would give him a good excuse to gun them down.

"God damn it...SHEPARD! LOOK OUT!" He bellowed while jumping from the ridge, opening fire on the Cerberus units below and killing three of the twelve as he slid down the steep slope. At the same time, the newly-reinstated Commander Naomi Shepard was caught by surprise when she heard the unknown figure figure call out to her. Simultaneously staring at the man with shock and suspicioun while already in the act of drawing her Avenger, Naomi focused back on the Cerberus threat while the holographic plates of her Tech Armor flared to life over her torso in various areas. Calmly and steadily advancing on the enemy with James and Ashley flanking her, Naomi fired short and controlled bursts at each enemy in an effort to conserve ammunition.

Flowing into a shoulder-roll upon reaching the base of the slope, the Wraith showed a shocking display of power and flexibility despite the bulk of his armor when he kicked off the ground into a handless front-flip and landed on top of an Assault Trooper, straddling the man's armored chest with his Omni-blade driven into the Cerberus trooper's head while holding his Mattock one-handed and firing a few shots into the back of another trooper that was focusing his attention on Shepard and the other two. Yanking the blade free of the corpse and deactivating it, he quickly jumped back up to his feet and shouldered his rifle, relentlessly unloading on the Cerberus units with singular headshots to each soldier. With the last one dead, Naomi turned to face the mysterious soldier while James and Ashley kept their rifles trained on him.

"Thanks for the heads-up, but...Who are you? Have we met before?" The woman inquired while the Wraith kept his back to them as he reloaded his rifle. Taking a moment to pilfer a thermal clip from a dead Assault Trooper to remain fully stocked, he slowly turned around to face her, craddling his rifle in his arms.

"Indeed, we have." He responded before kneeling down and picking up a medi-gel pack that had been dropped. Looking it over for a moment, he stuffed it into one of the empty supply pouches he had on his belt, figuring it might come in handy later. Standing back up, he continued. "Seeing as we met with us both outside of our armor, I think it's safe to say that you obviously don't recognize me with my armor on."

"Obviously..." Ashley whispered under her breath while Naomi glanced back at her with a slight glare. Shepard noticed how the man glanced at both James and Ashley as well as how he gripped his rifle a little tighter in preparation for a fight.

"James, Ashley. Lower your weapons." The Spectre ordered, getting looks of silent protest from the others before they did as they were told. "This is Lieutenant James Vega and Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams of the Alliance. And you are?"

"Well, that depends. Will you get me off this dust-ball?" He inquired, getting a nod from the Commander after a few moments of silent contemplation. Sighing with relief, he instantly made a 180 degree turn in attitude as he holstered his rifle and snapped to attention with a salute, unconsciously reverting back to his old ways back during his time in the Alliance. "Former Alliance N7 Marine, Corporal Naruto Uzumaki, ma'am."

"Um...At ease." Naomi responded a little awkwardly, cocking an eye brow at how the man, Naruto, reacted. Relaxing his stance, Naruto idly started mentally berating himself for slipping back into his old habits so easily. He wasn't in the Alliance anymore, so he shouldn't be acting like it. "Two questions; What are you doing here and why are you dressed in Cerberbus armor?"

"I'm a former Cerberus operative and I've put too much money into my armor's upgrades to simply replace it." Naruto responded calmly, ignoring the looks of surprise from the three Alliance officers in front of him. "As to why I'm here, I was on my way to the Prothean Archives to see if I could uncover information on something I came across while in Cerberus, but my ship was experiencing engine problems, forcing me to make an emergency landing roughly twenty miles from here. I arrived just minutes before you did, Commander."

"What exactly is it that you are looking for?" Naomi inquired, but that was when Naruto suddenly clammed up, remaining silent. Instead, he grabbed his Mattock while turning and walking towards the facility, cradling the rifle in his hands while the others trailed behind him.

"Shepard, we can't trust this guy. For all we know, he could still be a part of Cerberus and is just trying to-" James was cut short when Naruto moved far quicker than expected and spun around, closing the three meter gap between them in only three broad strides before he smashed the butt of his rifle into James's stomach with a slight running start, doubling him over before swinging the rifle stock back up and catching him under his chin, knocking him on his back. He then shouldered his rifle and aimed it at James's head, ignoring Shepard and Ashley as they aimed their Avengers at him.

"Do _NOT_ associate me with those psychopathic _murderers_!" Naruto snarled venomously before suddenly turning back around and heading back in the direction of the facility, leaving them behind. Grunting with mild pain as his mid-section ached and his ears still rang a little, James gave Shepard a nod of thanks after being helped up to his feet before glaring at Naruto's back.

"I suggest we all watch what we say around him from now on." Naomi stated softly, yet firmly as she glanced back towards Naruto upon hearing gun shots, watching as he tore into some remaining Cerberus troops with ease. "While I don't trust him, I get the feeling that we don't have to worry about him shooting us in the back."

"How do you figure that one, Commander?" Ashley questioned sharply. "Look at what he just did to James!"

"That was after being accused of still working for Cerberus. Not only that, but look at him; a professional killer wouldn't turn their back on their target, no matter what, and he's far too skilled to be an amateur." Naomi noted, making the two go quiet before they all glanced over at Naruto again once the shooting stopped. They watched as he knelt down and scavenged more thermal clips for his weapons before doing something with his Omni-tool beside one of the corpses, most likely checking their radio frequency to listen in on them. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him for now, okay?"

"Yes, Commander./Got it..." Came the simultaneous responses from Ashley and James, but before they continued on their way, Naomi turned her steely gaze on James.

"And James? Keep your mouth shut around him. I don't want to lose a valuable member of my crew and be proven wrong at the same time because of it." Naomi growled out before turning around and moving on, obviously not wanting to keep talking. Although disgruntled by the comment, James did as he was told and stayed quiet, following behind the two women as they moved to catch up with Naruto, who was already sealed within the large vehicle-bay airlock/elevator. As they waited for it come back down, Ashley finally got her chance to voice her distrust towards Naomi concerning her connection to Cerberus. By time the elevator came back down and allowed them to follow after him, they managed to settle their differences, for the most part, moments before the door opened up just in time for them to watch as Naruto finished off the last handful of Cerberus soldiers, the corpses of almost two dozen others scattered throughout the room.

"What the hell-?" Naomi cut herself short as she and her two companions pulled out their Avengers and took aim to help, only to pause and watch Naruto. Standing on the balcony with four of the remaining five troopers, Naruto holstered his Hornet instead of loading in another clip and charged the four Assault Troopers with an almost 'berserk' fervor.

"Wha-What the hell is this guy?!" One of the soldiers cried out as he and his three squadmates opened fire on him with their own Hornets and Talons, only for their bullets to rebound off of his kinetic barrier as he sprinted towards them without slowing or stumbling. As another shot glanced off his shield on the left side of his helmeted head, Naruto activated both of his Omni-blades and drove the left blade into the head of the first Assault Trooper without even glancing at the man or pausing, swiftly skewering the chest of the second with his right blade while ripping his left free of the first trooper's skull. Spinning to his right while pulling his right Omni-blade free, Naruto beheaded the third trooper while stabbing the fourth in the throat, only to deactivate both Omni-blades while grabbing the fourth corpse and charging torward the railing.

"I could use some help here!" Liara shouted out as she flinched back from another volley of bullets from a Centurion keeping her pinned behind cover down on the ground. No sooner had she said that did Naruto land on top of the Centurion with the dead Assault Trooper sandwhiched between them, the weight of both bodies driving the Centurion to the ground with enough force to disable his shield, only for Naruto to draw his Talon with his right hand and press the barrel against the back of the man's neck in the narrow space between his helmet and his body armor. With a single trigger squeeze, the Centurion was dead.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have survived if you hadn't been here." Liara stated while facing the armored soldier that hadn't said a single word since she ran into him moments before they were attacked by the large group of Cerberus soldiers. Grunting a little as he stood up and holstered his pistol, Naruto started reloading the two Hornets on his thighs along with his Mattock and Talon, having spent the last shot available to the heavy pistol to kill the Centurion. That was when she finally got a good look at him, causing her eyes to widen with recognition.

"Wait. I recognize you now. You're the Wraith." Liara uttered with shock and a touch of awe while the others joined them just in time to hear her. Naruto seemed to pause slightly at the mention of his 'title' before continuing with his chosen task of scavenging for any useful supplies. All he found were a couple more medi-gel packs, a data pad with some rather useless information, and a few credits on a couple of the bodies.

"Wraith? What are you talking about, Liara?" Naomi inquired with some suspiscioun. Naruto, instead of answering for the Asari or keeping her from talking, stayed quiet and simply stood there.

"He was a former Alliance N7 Marine, but he was truly one of a kind. His skill with technology, Biotics, weapons, and combat tactics put him at the top of his class all throughout his training and it made it difficult for them to properly classify his skill-set. After being given the N7 designation, he was promoted to Corporal and put in charge of an Alliance Marine squad almost immediately. Only a year after that, Spectre Nihilus took him under his wing and started to mentor him, having seen great potential in him to not only become the first Human Spectre, but also one of the deadliest ones to date that was highly skilled in all fields of expertise required to become a Spectre. However-" Liara went on to explain, shocking those present with the exception of Naruto himself, only she was cut off when Naruto finished for her.

"However, that was when I left the Alliance and joined Cerberus. Seven months later, Shepard becomes the new candidate and then placed in charge of the SSV Normandy SR-1." Naruto stated, his voice calm, yet sharp and cold. "No one knows the reason as to why I left and I seek to keep it that way, _Shadow Broker_."

"..." Although Liara didn't react outwardly or say anything, she understood the thinly-veiled threat implied by the emphasis placed upon her own title. Thus, she decided to keep the remaining information she had on him to herself.

"The elevator controls were damaged in the shoot out. We'll have to climb up to the balcony if we are to proceed." Naruto commented, forcefully changing the subject as he pointed over towards the side where a vehicle lift had been raised, creating a make-shift staircase that would allow them to get up onto the balcony. Without another word, Naruto headed over to said 'staircase' and started climbing up while Naomi had James head back to the shuttle and wait for them to contact him once they were ready to leave, expecting the need of a hasty extraction. As he left, the others followed after Naruto.

_'He's definitely no normal soldier...'_ Naomi thought to herself as she glanced up at Naruto as he jumped over to the balcony itself, recalling how had laid waste to the Cerberus soldiers with unnatural skill, exerting such an oppressive dominance over the battlefield that even Naomi wasn't so sure her skills could compare with his. _'And this man was only a Corporal? If what Liara said about him is true, he would have easily made it to Commander ranking by that time like I did, if not that of Major. Something isn't right, but it'll have to wait for now.'_

Once the others joined him on the balcony, Naruto took point with his rifle shouldered before leading them to the door, which opened without a problem. Spotting a Cerberus trooper further along that was oblivious to their position, Naruto held his left hand up to wordlessly signal everyone to hold back for a moment while putting his Mattock away, replacing it with a Hornet as he came up behind the man, crouching down slightly.

Without hesitating, he activated his Omni-blade and drove it through the Assault Troopers back, holding him in place with it as he raised his Hornet and used the man like a shield while opening fire on the other troopers in the hallway, killing them all in a single sweep of his gun without having to worry about replacing the thermal clip. Ripping his blade free and deactivating it, he casually ejected the useless clip and grabbed one from the dead trooper at his feet, using it to reload his Hornet before slipping it back into the mag-lock holster on the side of his thigh.

"Come on." Naruto spoke up as he shouldered his Mattock once more, leading them to an intersection with a control room set off to the side. Seeing the tell-tale red-orange holographic panel in front of either door that signified that they were locked, Naomi moved for the control room, hoping to find a way to unlock the doors to continue. As they filed into the room to investigate a little and collect any needed or wanted supplies, Naruto remained near the doorway, keeping an eye out for any more Cerberus troops that might be on the way.

"Commander, are you really going to bring him with us when we leave?" Ashley whispered curiously to her superior, getting a side-long glance from the woman as she continued to search for a way to unlock at least one of the doors. At the same time, Liara was reading a data pad she had found in the back of the room.

"Yes, Ashley, I am." Naomi responded while hacking into the computer systems. "Don't misunderstand; I don't trust him, but we need all the help we can get if we're going to succeed in defeating the Reapers."

"..." Ashley went silent after that, casting another glance at the armored soldier at the door. Finally managing to unlock both of the doors, Naomi stood up from the chair while they exited the control room. Before she could say anything, however, Naruto spoke up first.

"Alright. This is where we split up for the moment." Naruto started as he moved towards the door on the right. "While you go and get what you came for, I'm going to search for what _I_ came for. I've already got your frequency, so I'll let you know when I'm ready to leave."

"Wait, we shouldn't-" Naomi's words were ignored, however, as Naruto passed through the doors and locked them behind him. "-split up...Alright. Let's move."

A minute later, they were outside, traversing the exterior structure of the Prothean Archives...

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Escaping Hades

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Chapter Two

"This looks promising..." Naruto muttered to himself as he sat down at a computer in one of the more restricted areas of the facility, the bodies of several Cerberus soldiers lying on the ground behind him. After starting the computer up, he started hacking into it through a combination of his Omni-tool and direct access on the computer itself. Within minutes, he managed to get into the system. Eyes narrowing with determination, Naruto started typing away at the keyboard, his Omni-tool vanishing. "Let's see what we can dig up..."

As he accessed the main data storage, Naruto could only stare at the endless library of information printed out on the screen...

"This is going to take too long. Kurama." Naruto commented before stating the name to his personal VI, one that he had been trying to reprogram into an unshackled AI with little progress. Instantly, his Omni-tool flared to life for a moment before the dark crimson holographic orb of the VI materialized beside the computer screen.

_"How can I be of assistance, Corporal?"_ Kurama inquired with a soft and melodic woman's voice.

"I need you to download everything this place has on file and I do mean everything. Can you do that?" Naruto inquired of the VI while typing away at a few more keys on the computer as he awaited the answer from Kurama.

_"I believe so, Corporal. I would recommend transfering the data to another data storage device afterwards, however."_ Kurama answered and then advised, making Naruto glance at it for a moment before it continued. _"The data will take up almost all available space on your Omni-tool, slowing down its processes considerably until it is transfered elsewhere."_

"Alright, just get it done, Kurama. The clock's ticking." Naruto answered before the VI went silent as they both went to work. Just as Kurama was nearly finished, Naruto noticed something, only to be confirmed when Kurama spoke up.

_"Sir, it appears someone is trying to download and delete Prothean data on something called the Crucible. Orders?"_ Kurama stated, her voice even and monotonous. Eyes narrowing, Naruto accessed the mainframe's core systems and started targeting the point of access, finding it in the archives itself.

"Lock them out, Kurama. I know it's not Shepard; she wouldn't delete the data." Naruto ordered before attempting to at least slow down the hacker's progress while Kurama did as it was instructed. After three tense minutes, they were successful in salvaging almost seventy percent of the data on the Crucible, but that was when the point of access the hacker was using suddenly registered as 'malfunctioning'. Without another thought, Naruto hacked the security cameras in the area where the terminal was located and watched just as the person, a woman, started running while Naomi gave chase. "Damn it! Kurama, are you finished yet?"

_"Yes, sir."_ Was all Kurama stated before disconnecting from the computer and vanishing, returning to his Omni-tool. The next moment, Naruto's racing down the corridor for the nearest point to intercept the hacker.

"Kurama! Activate all Combat and Motor Assists! Divert all power from my kinetic barrier to the defense matrix! And keep an eye on that woman! I want to know exactly what's going on and where she's going!" Naruto barked out moments before the mechanical joints and synthetic muscle-fibres of the suit started working in tandem with his body to double his speed while the suit's power cells focused almost three-quarters of its output into creating powerful foucault currents all across his armored formed, his shield dispersing as he became the Human equivalent of a pissed off Krogan. Kurama, having remained linked with the basic security systems, ensured that any and all doors in Naruto's path were unlocked and open by the time he came within a certain distance of them. At the same time, she was sealing off as many other corridors along the way and bypassing hostile areas, reducing the risk of encountering Cerberus troops along the way.

_"Sir, she is heading for a shuttle. I'm uploading the coordinates now."_ Kurama informed, getting no response from Naruto as he focused solely on taking down the woman. He knew exactly who it was and he knew that they were not to be underestimated. Then again, he had technically killed her almost four times in the past two years and it only got harder every time...

**xXx**

"Damn it! She's getting away!" Shepard howled over the radio as the woman, Dr. Eva Core, turned a corner almost ten meters ahead of her. In the same split second that she lost sight of the target, Shepard was shocked to witness Naruto charging in the opposite direction like some kind of Rhino or Krogan with Eva in his grasp, only to slam her into the wall. The metal panel was heavily dented while Eva regained her footing and grabbed the back of Naruto's armor in an attempt to throw him aside.

"Not this time, bitch!" Naruto snarled as he held onto the woman, who simply moved him to the side. Using it to his advantage, he moved with the motion and lifted Eva from the ground, only to slam her into the wall a second time with twice as much force as before. As she fell to the ground on her side, Naruto grabbed onto her wrists and swung her around again, slamming her into the wall just around the corner she had attempted to take moments ago. Damaging the wall panels just as bad as before, Naruto was about to let her go to draw one of his guns to shoot her when Eva grabbed his wrists in return. "Uh-oh..."

"Let me return the favor." Eva responded monotonously as she stood up and swung Naruto around just as he had done to her a moment ago. Crying out with pain as the wall crumpled from the weight of his armored body and the force of the attack while Eva let him drop, only to turn and start heading back towards the awaiting shuttle. Gritting his teeth as he started trying to get back onto his feet, Naruto watched as the white and yellow Kodiak's engines were hit by another Kodiak while attempting to take off, the second shuttle being the one that was to supposed to get him off Mars. Luckily, the Cerberus shuttle simply dropped out of the sky and was reduced to nothing more than flaming scrap while their own made it out relatively unharmed and landed a bit roughly off to the side.

"James!" Naomi cried out in a mixture of shock and concern for the man's well-being while Ashley and Liara arrived. Moments after the crash, Ashley was the first to start running towards the wreckage to try and get James out when Eva, charred and smoldering from the flames of the Cerberus shuttle wreckage, emerged from said wreckage. Ashley pulled out her M-3 Predator and started unloading into Eva's chest, but it didn't stop the gynoid. Just as she grabbed ahold of Ashley's helmet and started squeezing, Eva was suddenly tackled from the side by Naruto, who slammed her down into the ground before drawing his Talon with his right hand as he sat up, straddling the machine's waist before he started unloading into Eva's chest.

"GOD DAMN BITCH! STAY DEAD THIS TIME!" Naruto roared furiously as he emptied every available round his Talon had at point-blank range. Finally, with his last shot, the unit became unresponsive and powered down. Growling under his breath, Naruto stood up, only to stumble and nearly fall due to the soreness and pain in his back from being slammed into the wall. Before he fell, however, Shepard managed to grab him, slipping under his right arm and helping support him. Glancing down at her, he remained silent, but nodded slightly in thanks.

"Are you alright?" Shepard inquired with modest concern. "It looked like you took a pretty hard hit there."

"Don't worry about me. Go get Vega." Naruto stated, wincing slightly. Cursing herself for forgetting about him, Shepard immediately turned around and ran to the Kodiak while Liara checked on Ashley, leaving Naruto to make his way over to the wall and sit down while leaning back against it. After a few minutes, Shepard exited the shuttle with Vega, who looked a little dazed from the crash, but was otherwise unharmed. Biting back a painful complaint about his injuries, Naruto glanced up at Vega and scoffed as they walked by. "You're an idiot, you know that? You could have gotten yourself killed pulling a stunt like that. You could have stranded us here, too."

"You're no better." The marine retorted, but smirked while Naruto snorted slightly with amusement. The blonde was honestly surprised when the man held his hand out to him to help him to his feet. Smirking behind his helmet, Naruto reached up and took the offered hand before the Lieutenant helped the former Corporal back up. It was then that Naruto decided to return the jibe.

"When it comes to insane stunts and suicide runs, I've got experience and better equipment on my side." Naruto started before looking at the man. "What have _you_ got besides ignorance and stupidity?"

"Hey!" James snapped with indignation while Naomi wedged herself between the two before a fight could break out between them, but she didn't see the faint grin on James's face or the makings of respect for the marine in Naruto's unseen eyes.

"Will you two cut it out already? We've got more important things to take care of right now." Naomi started, glaring between the two of them. "I don't care who, but one of you needs to pick up that synthetic and get it on the shuttle. The other is going to help me get Ashley in the shuttle. Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am./Yes, sir." Naruto and James responded at the same time, easing Naomi's temper and satisfying her for the time being. Before James could make a move for Eva, Naruto beat him to it, groaning slightly as it aggrivated the heavy bruising in his back and his possibly cracked ribs. When James stared at him for a moment, Naruto stared right back at him. "Hey, don't give me that look. I have a bad habit of _breaking_ people. At least this way, I can't break something that's already broken."

Naomi rolled her eyes at how the two were behaving before clearing her throat, getting James's attention before he focused back on the task at hand before helping pick Ashley up...

**xXx**

Upon reaching the Citadel, Naruto lagged behind on the ship while the others left to get Ashley to the hospital and/or take care of other things. As they did that, he changed into his casual clothing before exiting the Normandy and passing through the security check, stepping into the elevator moments after. Without hesitation, he selected the Embassies as his destination, the 'ride' taking a little longer than Naruto liked. Dismissing the thought as soon as the door opened up, Naruto made his way towards the back where the offices were, only to pass by them and head to the Spectre terminal. Without pause, he logged into the terminal and selected one of his contacts. He waited a few moments while linking a small communicator ear-piece to the terminal to help ensure no one over heard his conversation; for the most part, at least.

_"How did you get a hold of this line? Who is this?"_ Someone responded from the other side, their flanging voice being that of a male Turian. Naruto smirked faintly.

"I bought it from a flying rainbow colored varren named Bubbles and decided to see if the number was actually real. Who do you think it is?" Naruto responded sarcastically. Upon hearing not only his voice, but what he said as well, the turian on the other end could help laughing.

_"Naruto! It's been a long time!"_ The turian began with joy and excitement, only to grow quiet and serious the next moment. _"Did you complete the objective?"_

"Of course. Who do you think I am? Besides, I wouldn't have contacted you if I hadn't." Naruto responded while pulling a cable out from his right sleeve, which led to a hidden storage unit strapped to his right forearm beneath it. Plugging the cord into the terminal and rolling his right sleeve up, he pressed a couple buttons on both the terminal and the storage unit. "I'm sending the data to you now and don't worry; it's encrypted. I hope you still remember how to decode it because even _I'm_ not stupid enough to mention it over this line, Spectre-secured or not."

_"Yes, I still remember. I'm getting it now."_ The turian responded before going silent for a few moments while the data transfer was occuring. Once it was complete, Naruto unplugged the cord and pulled his sleeve back down, hiding it. _"By the Spirits...This is more than I was expecting."_

"You really need to start expecting the unexpected whenever I'm involved. I thought you would have learned that already after everything we've been through together." Naruto remarked a little sourly, only to sigh and rub the back of his neck while leaning against the railing beside him, his shadow-veiled eyes glancing off to the side to ensure no one was eavesdropping on him. "Besides, I was in there longer than we had anticipated and then there was the fact I had to tie up a few loose ends and then I started having issues with finding a reliable ship without getting attacked by pirates, having it stolen while docked, or being sold a worthless piece of shit. I swear, it's getting harder and harder to find honest people in the galaxy these days."

_"You complain too much."_ The turian responded, but there was a somewhat tense pause that made Naruto a little suspicious, only for the turian to speak up again. _"Naruto, I need to ask a favor of you."_

"You wouldn't ask for a favor if it wasn't important; what is it?" Naruto inquired seriously, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at the ground, his mind already switching over to his usual 'Operative' mentality.

_"It's Primarch Fedorian. He was preparing to call a war summit in response to the Reaper Invasion, but..."_ The turian trailed off for a moment. He didn't need to say anything else for Naruto to understand what happened. Turning back towards the terminal, Naruto started typing away at the keys, bringing up all of the information he could on Palaven and anything related to it, but it was mostly things on anything that had happened within the last couple years. _"The next in line for the position is General Adrien Victus, but Palaven is currently under attack by the Reapers. To make matters worse, Victus is on Menae and we just lost contact with him not that long ago."_

"Don't worry. I'll find him." Naruto commented before downloading the information to his Omni-tool for later review. "I'll contact you once I have him, but then again, you'll probably find out before then."

_"Alright. Thank you, Naruto. I owe you one."_ The turian responded, making Naruto smirk a little.

"Technically, you owe me two now. Remember what I did for you back on Eden Prime?" Naruto remarked, getting a brief and strained laugh from the turian. "Take care."

Without another word spoken between them, they both disconnected the call simultaneously. Logging out of the terminal and leaving the ear-pice in his right ear, Naruto turned to leave to see if he could procure himself a ship, only to stop dead in his tracks. Standing before him was none other than Commander Naomi Shepard, her helmet absent and revealing her chin-length silky dark auburn-red hair and bright emerald green eyes, her skin lightly tanned. She didn't look very happy.

"Ah, Shepard. What are you doing here?" Naruto greeted a little awkwardly with a slightly nervous grin. Naomi's eyes narrowed with greater suspicioun.

"I should be asking you the same thing. How did you access that terminal? Who were you just talking to?" She demanded firmly, yet calmly. Expression going blank, Naruto glanced down the hall before grabbing her arm and leading her into the firing range where they wouldn't be over-heard. Looking back out through the window one more time, Naruto faced Naomi.

"Look, I strongly suggest you just forget you saw or heard anything, okay?" Naruto urged calmly and coldly, looking straight into the woman's eyes. All he saw in return was defiance in her eyes and a lot of it. Sighing heavily, Naruto rubbed the side and back of his neck while looking away for a moment. Looking back at Naomi, he continued, his blue eyes just barely visible from within the shadows of his hood. "Commander, I would tell you if I could, but I can't. The mission was classified, even from other Spectres. All I can tell you is to speak with Admiral Hackett about it the next chance you get. If he tries to avoid answering, tell him I said it was okay."

"Alright..." Naomi replied softly, a little stunned by Naruto's breif explanation. Giving her a small smile, Naruto patted her shoulder in a friendly manner before leaving at a mildly rushed pace. Turning around and watching him leave, Naomi let her eyes narrow slightly before sighing and dismissing it for now, choosing to take care of what she originally came to do...

**xXx**

"Finally, a reliable ship." Naruto, now an official Spectre, muttered with a faint smirk as he exited the 'transit corridor' created by the Relays. After his encounter with Shepard and dealing with the Council about his promised Spectre status, he had gone out and collected a small craft for his use from a Black Market dealer. It was pretty much an Alliance Interceptor, but a little bit more sophisticated. From what he was told, it had been a prototype for a new Interceptor, but the deal went bad and the project was scrapped.

So far, he hadn't encountered any issues with the engines, FTL drive, or any other systems in the ship. He was actually rather impressed with it. The ship was surprisingly fast and agile, the light armor and weaponry it was equipped with was top-of-the-line, and it even had a cryo pod for the pilot to rest in during long journeys, a locker for any armor, weapons, and clothing they may have, and a small, but decent cargo hold behind it with the FTL drive beyond that, the engines flanking the fuselage.

"Man, I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to lose my ship..." Naruto muttered to himself before thinking of his options. One, he could land it and leave it when he reached Menae, but there was a chance of it getting destroyed somewhere along the lines or he simply couldn't get back to his ship. Two, he could possibly dock with a Turian ship and leave it in their care until he could come back for it, but he then ran the risk of the ship being destroyed by the Reapers, which was highly likely. Both weren't very appealing to him. "Kurama."

_"Yes, Corporal?"_ The VI inquired as it formed beside him, spawning from his Omni-tool.

"Kurama, is it possible for you to transfer over to the ship's mainframe and control it remotely?" The blonde inquired, setting the autopilot before getting up and moving to the pilot's quarters, _his_ quarters, and shedding his hoodie.

_"Affirmative, Corporal. This ship's systems are more than capable of supporting my programming. In fact, my programming might benefit from it."_ Kurama responded in the same monotonous tone as always. Naruto smirked faintly, knowing his VI had misunderstood him. He really needed to find time to work on the VI.

"I already knew that, Kurama. That's why I spent so much on it. What I'm asking is it possible for you transfer _now_? As in, before we reach Menae?" Naruto inquired, rewording his previous question as he took his gloves off and pulled his sleeveless turtleneck off, leaving his muscled and tattooed upper body bare while revealing the mild bruising that still decorated most of his back. Removing his boots as the VI began to answer, Naruto couldn't help smirking a little, kind of glad that his VI wasn't quite able to 'keep up', so to speak. It gave him an excuse to talk more...

_"Yes, it is, Corporal. The transfer will take seventeen minutes and fifty-two seconds."_ Kurama responded while Naruto had already started pulling on the body-suit, zipping it up in the front.

"And what's our ETA?" Naruto inquired before walking over to the armor locker sitting in the corner of his quarters.

_"We will reach Menae in twenty-nine minutes and twelve seconds."_ Kurama answered. Stretching slightly as the synthetic muscular system in the suit tightened and constricted to fit his body perfectly, Naruto flexed his gloved hands before reaching into the locker and collecting his weapons.

"It'll be close. Better get started." The blonde commented as he holstered his Raptor and Mattock to his back before grabbing two Hornets and placing them behind his waist.

_"I already have, Corporal."_ Kurama answered, making Naruto smirk just a little bit more than earlier, holstering his final two Hornets to his thighs and sliding his Talon into the metal case-like holster mounted to his chest. Slipping thermal clips and grenades into the various compartments on his armor, he couldn't help pondering what horrors awaited him on Menae, his smirk fading away into an almost imperceptible frown. Now fully stocked and armed, Naruto grabbed his helmet and stared at it for a moment, wondering if he was truly skilled enough to combat the demons and hellspawn of the Reapers...

**xXx**

"What the hell do you mean 'he just left'?!" Naomi growled, narrowing her eyes at the Normandy crewmember she was busy interrogating at the moment; Specialist Samantha Traynor didn't know how to react, having found herself backed up against the wall by the rather irate Commander.

"After you left to take the L-Lieutenant Commander to the hospital, he left for a little while, only to come back, grab his things, and leave." Samantha responded a little nervously, which only got worse when Naomi's expression darkened a little more. "I-I think he mentioned s-something about finally getting a ship of his own..."

"..." Naomi stayed quiet for a moment and took a deep breath to calm down. Normally, she wouldn't have cared, but she had been counting on taking him with her when they reached Palaven's moon, Menae. "Thank you, Traynor. Go ahead and return to your post."

"Yes, Commander." The Communications Specialist acknowledged before heading back to her station. Walking up to bridge, Shepard stood beside Joker's chair, her left arm braced against the empty co-pilot chair. They had just left the final Mass Relay leading to their target destination and were on their way to Menae in order to find Primarch Fedorian.

"What's up, Commander? Upset that your boyfriend left without saying good-bye?" The 'crippled' pilot teased, making Shepard glare at him.

"Don't make me hit you." She mumbled, making Joker a little nervous at that point. Sighing, Naomi made herself calm down. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"What makes you think I would have any clue? It's not like I can leave this chair, you know?" Joker responded sarcastically, only to get a look from his Commander and withered under her stare. Then again, it wasn't exactly a secret that he was always listening in on everything all throughout the ship due to him being stuck in the chair all the time. "Alright, alright! I over-heard him talking with a VI he has about getting some kind of prototype Alliance interceptor that had never gone into production."

"That doesn't answer my question." Naomi remarked with a little disappointment, only for Joker to bring up another holographic screen a little off to the side. "What's this?"

"There's _one_ Alliance ship in the Trebia System. From the looks of it, that's him." Joker stated casually, his comment only making Naomi's eyes narrow with suspicioun, wondering why he was there as well when Shepard hadn't heard about the Primarch until the Turian Councilor had approached her on the matter after the meeting. Watching the data-feed on the small craft as they drew closer to Palaven, Joker couldn't help whistling. "Damn. I've got to say, he certaintly knows how to fly."

"What do you mean?" Naomi questioned only for Joker to bring up a vidscreen of the fighter. It looked almost like any other Alliance interceptor, only the craft had four engines instead of just two, the fuselage was slightly longer and a bit bigger, the stabilizer wings were broader and had a longer reach than normal, and it had two anti-fighter missile pods mounted to the hull under the fuselage. Other than that, it was still painted the same blue and white colors of an Alliance ship.

As they examined the craft, three Oculi suddenly fell in behind it, firing on the fighter. Naomi closed her eyes and looked away from the screen just as the first salvo of scarlet beams shot out, only to look back at it and watch with a strange feeling of relief and awe when the ship jinked just enough to avoid damage, only to jink back in the opposite direction to avoid collision with the hull of a turian Cruiser, one of the Oculi being caught in the cross-fire of one of the ship's cannons. Dodging another volley from their pursuers, the interceptor suddenly slowed down considerably even though it had been on the verge of successfully outpacing the two Oculi, but just as the two orbs drew in close, the interceptor's nose tipped up while the engines roared to life, causing it to literally flip over as the first Oculus fired a shot while passing under it while the interceptor opened fire on the second Oculus near the completion of the rotation, destroying it. Not even a moment later, the third and final Oculus was shot down as well, the unusual interceptor darting off towards another area of the orbital battlefield, only to engage in another dog-fight with more Oculi.

"What the hell? That's weird." Joker mumbled while examing one of the holographic screens more carefully, getting a look from Naomi. "I'm not picking up any life signs on that interceptor."

"It must have an advanced VI piloting it then. Judging from that, I think it's safe to say that Naruto already has his boots on the ground." Naomi commented before deciding it was of little concern at the moment. "Just get us on that moon, Joker."

"Aye aye, Commander." Joker responded, focusing intently on navigating the exoatmospheric conflict. Without another word, Naomi turned and started heading towards the hangar, where James and Liara were already waiting...

**xXx**

"'No' means 'No', fucker! Now, get off me!" Naruto snarled as he held a particularly rabid Husk away from him with his left hand on the abomination's throat, the shockingly strong synthetic-organic being clawing at his armor and gnashing its jaws in an attempt to kill the blonde as it kept said man pinned on the ground. Grabbing his Talon, Naruto glared at the monstrousity before shoving the barrel of his pistol into the Husk's mouth. "Chew on this, you ugly son of a bitch!"

"I must say, Human. Many have called me unorthodux, but you have unusual ways of killing an enemy." Adrien Victus, the new Turian Primarch, commented as he shouldered his Phaeston and fired accurate singular shots to the heads of other Husks, remaining calm even though he was just barely holding them at bay. Getting back up on his feet, Naruto cast a mildly annoyed glare at the turian from behind his helmet, only to holster his Talon and take out his Mattock. "However, I do admire your determination."

"It's called 'survival instincts', Primarch. Nothing more." Naruto remarked as he shot another Husk in the head before catching sight of an indoctrinated turian, also known as a Marauder, towards the back of the crowd of Husks. Shooting one last Husk that got too close, he immediately switched his Mattock out with his Raptor and shouldered it before looking through the scope. "Victus! Cover me!"

"I've been doing that for some time now." Adrien remarked with a hint of sarcasm, remaining calm on the outside while his mind started racing with ideas to help them get out alive. Taking a deep breath and steadying his aim, Naruto leveled the cross-hairs with the Maurauder's head before starting to slowly exhale while squeezing the trigger, the shot striking the 'processed' turian's shields and disabling them instantly while stumbling the Marauder. Not even half a second later, a second shot rang out and pierced the being's left eye, bursting out from the back of its head on the right side before hitting a Husk in the left shoulder, making it stumble and fall before scrambling back to its feet and continuing on its mindless charge.

"Nice shot..." Adrien praised while Naruto replaced his sniper rifle with his Mattock and shot a nearby Husk in the face.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Primarch. Just keep shooting." Naruto answered before a Husk managed to get close enough, forcing him to hold his rifle out to keep it back. Shoving it back, Naruto struck it in the jaw with the butt of his rifle. "Get back!"

The next moment, that same Husk had Naruto's Omni-blade skewered through its head while Naruto held his rifle with his right hand and shot another Husk in the mouth. Ripping his blade free and letting it disappear, he shouldered the semi-automatic assault rifle once more. Gritting his teeth as he watched more and more Husks converge on them from the end of the canyon-like valley before them, Naruto couldn't help thinking that they weren't going to make it. Pushing himself as fast as he was physically capable, he ejected the spent thermal clip in his rifle and loaded a new one in, only to knock back another Husk, shoot it in the head, raise his rifle, and keep firing on the charging horde.

"Damn it...Primarch! Fall back! There's too many of them!" Naruto called out to the turian without taking his eyes off the enemy, who was just as busy trying to keep them back. Without another word, the two started backing up without turning their backs on the enemy, something Primarch Victus did by nature due to his people's way of life. Naruto, however, was doing it because his mind was torn in two. One part knew they couldn't win and would only end up dead if they stayed, but the other part just wanted to slaughter as many of them as possible. Thus, they came to a suitable compromise.

"I'm out!" Adrien called out as he ejected his last thermal clip, making Naruto growl angrily. Without lowering his rifle or halting his fire, Naruto reached down with his left hand, grabbed a thermal clip and threw it to the Primarch, who caught it just as three Husks lunged from the ridge above. Catching sight of it out of the corner of his eye just as they left contact with the dark stone of Menae, Naruto felt his adrenaline surge through his body, causing his perception of time to slow down to a crawl while his reflexes peaked at super-human levels. Turning to the left, he fired three shots that punched through the heads of all three Husks, only to holster his now empty Mattock and draw two Hornets.

Shoving the muzzle of his left Hornet into the gaping jaws of a Husk as he turned back to the right, Naruto fired a quick three shot burst into its skull before swinging his right SMG around while flicking his thumb on a custom-made select-fire switch to make it a fully-automatic, bashing the now-dead Husk in the head to knock it aside while unleashing a solid volley that swept across the leading ranks, killing many of them. Switching back to its standard burst fire selection to avoid wasting precious ammo, Naruto raised his left Hornet and shot another Husk in the face while holstering his right one, only to eject its spent thermal clip and insert a new one before drawing it once more.

_'Interesting Human, indeed.'_ Primarch Victus thought to himself as he watched Naruto for that moment, before focusing back on the almost zombie-like creatures attacking them. Running out again, the turian spat a curse under his breath before utilizing the Phaeston itself as a make-shift club whenever a Husk got too close. Noticing how the Primarch had switched defense methods, Naruto narrowed his eyes and moved so that he was between the Primarch and the horde, his Hornets spitting out bullets as he took to sweeping the submachine guns back and forth, causing the bullets from each three-shot burst to be spaced out enough that a single bullet was used on a single Husk.

_'We're not going to make it...'_ Naruto thought to himself, knowing he had only three more thermal clips left, but the intensity of the assault was too great for him to hold back for much longer. Reloading his left Hornet and leaving himself with two spare thermal clips, Naruto kept firing as long as he could. He really didn't want to use his Biotics, especially with the Primarch so close to him. Unlike other Biotics, Naruto's were incredibly difficult to control, even with his training and L5x implants. Plus, the only way he would be able to defeat the Husks before him at that moment would result in either severely injuring the Primarch or outright killing the turian.

_They were going to die_. That was all he could think of by that point, reloading his right Hornet again, leaving him with a single spare thermal clip. His Mattock was empty, his Raptor was useless at close range, he was out of grenades, and he had one last clip. The only good thing was the fact his two extra Hornets, which were upgraded for maximum penetration and stopping power, were still loaded. He could feel the already intense flood of adrenaline coursing through his system climb even higher as he fought, reaching a point where he wasn't even capable of thinking of what to do next; he was simply reacting.

_They were going to die_. No. Not on his watch. He wasn't going to die, not until he got to her face one last time. He couldn't die without telling her he was sorry for what happened. Loading his last thermal clip into his left Hornet, Naruto kept firing, his blue eyes slowly bleeding into red as his adrenaline spiked even higher, whisps of crimson Biotic energy flickering around his body as he kept firing. Behind him, Adrien could only watch with awe and shock upon seeing the scarlet energy, having never seen someone with red Biotic energy. As his two Hornets clicked simultaneously, their thermal clips spent, Naruto hastily holstered them and drew his second set.

"RAARGH!" The blonde howled furiously as he pulled the triggers to his twin Hornets, unleashing a punishing and relentless barrage of bullets, each one punching through several Husks before losing their penetrating velocity. Adrien could only watch with wide eyes as huge swaths of Husks were being thrown back and cut down by the storm of bullets, some even being cut in half and dismembered amidst the assault. It created a much larger gap between Naruto and the leading disorganized ranks of the Husk horde, but it was short lived as both Hornets suddenly clicked empty. Holstering them, Naruto instinctually gathered his energy in his hands before throwing them forward, unleashing twin blastwaves of red Biotic light that smashed into the Husks, crushing their bodies on impact while launching several others back.

"Protect the Primarch!" A turian suddenly called from up on the ridge to the right while several turian soldiers ran up to the ledges. A moment later, their Phaestons barked with sustained fire, mowing down the remaining Husks in the area, starting with those closest to Naruto and the Primarch. At the same time, two A-61 Mantis Gunships passed by, cleaning up the remaining Husks further back, while two M-080 APCs rolled to a stop behind them before another handful of turian military personnel exited the lead M-080.

Upon seeing the reinforcements, Naruto started calming back down, his Biotic energy fading away alongside his adrenaline, but it didn't go away completely until after the shallow and wide canyon was completely cleared out and secured. Gasping for breath as he dropped to one knee with exhaustion, Naruto resisted the urge to grip at his chest, which ached painfully from the extreme stress that had been placed upon his heart by his adrenaline.

"By the Spirits..." Primarch Victus whispered, still in awe of Naruto's show of battle prowess and skills. Walking over to him, he slowly helped the man back up to his feet, supporting him to keep him from falling back down. "What is your name, Human?"

"Naruto Uzumaki...Spectre..." Naruto gasped out, struggling to focus as unconsciousness tried to over-take him. Upon hearing his position, Adrien couldn't keep the shock of the revelation from showing on his face. Shock became admiration once more as he started leading Naruto over to the M-080s.

"I shall remember your name, Spectre Uzumaki, as will my people for generations to come because of this day. I owe you my life." Primarch Victus commented, making Naruto glance at him momentarily out of mild surprise, having not expected him to say something like that. As the Primarch passed Naruto over to two turian soldiers, he addressed them both. "Make sure he is well taken care of."

"Yes, sir!" One of the turians responded before leading Naruto over to a field medic to be examined and treated, if needed. Sighing, Adrien Victus quietly thanked a soldier as they handed him a couple thermal clips, using one of the three to reload his Phaeston. Hearing an explosion, however, many looked up and back to watch as one of the Mantis gunships were shot down, sending it spiraling down to the ground and crashing in a violent blast of fire and debris. Hearing one of the higher ranking soldiers shouting orders, Primarch Victus followed after Naruto as the man was helped into the second M-080, sitting beside him once they got inside.

The ride was silent for the pair as they headed towards a nearby forward base camp of sorts. The ride was a short one, lasting only a few minutes, before they disembarked the APC. Feeling a little better after resting, Naruto was able to support himself and followed after the Primarch, who was headed to a nearby mobile 'bunker'. Once there, Naruto sat down on a crate for a bit more rest while the Primarch conversed with a few high ranking military officers, trying to figure out what their current status was.

_'I can't believe I almost lost control back there.'_ Naruto thought to himself before standing up and walking over to a nearby ammo box. As he removed his weapons and set them down on the boulder the box sat upon, Naruto picked up his Mattock and discharged the used-up clip before inserting another one. _ 'Not only did I almost lose control, but I damn near killed myself trying NOT to. Fuck, my chest still hurts...'_

"It seems that we aren't done fighting just yet, Spectre Uzumaki." Primarch Victus stated as he walked over to Naruto, who had holstered his Mattock and started reloading his four Hornets, holstering them as he went. "A rather large group of Reaper forces are moving in our direction. Reports state that it consists mostly of Marauders, Cannibals, and several Brutes. Also, I just got word from General Corinthus a minute ago that Commander Shepard arrived not long ago and will be heading our way as well."

"Hmph. By the time she gets here, the fighting will be over with." Naruto stated calmly while slapping in another thermal clip into his Raptor, deciding to keep it out for the time being, his Talon reloaded and holstered as well. He paused for a moment and glanced at the turian. "You didn't tell her I was here, did you?"

"No, I didn't. Why? Should I have?" The Primarch questioned, curious as to why the Spectre seemed almost nervous by Shepard's presence on Menae. Naruto shook his head after that, saying nothing else. If they were going to say anything else to one another, it would have to wait as gun fire echoed out from one of the barricades along with orders being shouted, only for a massive Brute to suddenly slam into the barricade ramp, breaking it down and allowing access to the other Reaper 'soldiers' with it.

"Smile you son of a bitch..." Naruto muttered under his breath, already staring through the scope of his sniper rifle as he lined up his target. Squeezing the trigger, the bullet impacted the Brute's head, punching through it and killing the behemoth, only for a second to come barreling into the camp with more Marauders and Cannibals. "This just isn't my day..."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**


End file.
